Running Away
by akakurogin
Summary: [ONESHOT] Don't let the title mislead you. Inspired on a very boring international flight. [TezuFuji, OishiEiji]


La dee da. Yea so I've been obsessively watching TeniPuri lately. This is actually a fic born of excessive boredom on an international flight, that I actually handwrote in that tiny little cramped space on an airplane, and later typed up. Inspired by boredom. Oh, and yea – first TeniPuri fic. Fuji's quite OOC, I know. Gomen. I only realized after it was done, and I couldn't figure out how to make him more in chara and keep the storyline. I think Oishi is also… but eh.   
  
Please do review (don't email – I don't check it), and do tell me if I've made any technical errors. =.= I wrote all the descriptions from memory, and edited later, but I may well have made an unnoticed error. And I don't know all that much about TeniPuri, so I may well have made a mistake. Let's just call it AU.  
  
*whistles* - edit because I forgot the following very very important piece of information.  
  
Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis not mine.  
  
Running Away  
  
1/1? 2? Do you want to see more?  
  
Rated R for some suggestive talk  
  
It had all started innocently enough. A planned vacation, to explore another continent and watch some of the best tennis players in the world in action, and possibly even play some of them.  
  
The former Seishun Gakuen team had by now all risen to Seishun High, and, minus one Kawamura Takashi, were all members of the tennis club. Even Echizen Ryoma had just finished his first year of high school, and had already made himself a name on the tennis circuit as "that freshman regular from Seishun High".  
  
Wait, there was one more difference. Tezuka Kunimitsu had not attended Seishun High. Instead, he had chosen to finally do something beneficial to his career at the sacrifice of his friends. The former tennis club captain was tearing up the English circuit as "that Japanese junior high champion" at a prestigious tennis private high school on the outskirts of London.  
  
As one Fuji Syuusuke double-checked all his luggage the night before their flight, his eyes rested on a picture of their team after Nationals. And he remembered.  
  
i"I'm going to England."  
  
And Tezuka's firm golden brown eyes met each of the regulars' shocked gazes before coming to a rest on his own blue ones. He was sure the others had made sounds of surprise or support or something, but he could hear none of it. The only voice in existence for him had been Tezuka's, echoing, "I'm going to England, going to England, England, England…"It was like the rest of the team had simply faded out of existence, leaving only himself and Tezuka, staring at each other. Tezuka's features were set, determined, but his gaze had wavered, and Fuji saw it. The defiant glint declaring that nothing would change his mind and that he'd made his final decision changed to a plea for understanding, for Fuji to realize that the decision had been hard for him and he didn't want to leave, but he had to. Then the determined face returned but it had been enough./i  
  
It wasn't like Fuji didn't understand – while he himself would never care about tennis that much, and would never go to a school placing such an emphasis on tennis, he understood Tezuka's passion – no, need – for tennis. And so he had smiled crinkling up his hidden eyes again, and told Tezuka ganbatte ne.  
  
After all, he didn't have any claim on Tezuka. Regardless of the fact that he had admired the former elementary school champion since he met him on the club, and he knew that Tezuka returned those feelings, neither had ever mentioned anything. And because of that, he had let the only person to ever capture his attention walk away from him. He had gone to the airport, along with Oishi and Tezuka's parents, to see him off. Tezuka had walked confidently towards the security checkpoint, beyond which they, without boarding passes, were not allowed. His racquet bag was slung over his shoulder, and he had not turned back, had not even waved.  
  
That had been the last time Fuji had seen Tezuka Kunimitsu. Tezuka had yet to return to Japan, his honors roll studying and well-famed tennis training taking up his year-round schedule. But that was to change soon. He was four years late, but he was going to England to visit Tezuka.  
  
Elsewhere, that same night, Oishi sighed as he fell into Kikumaru's welcoming arms, in their bed, after a passionate session of lovemaking. He immediately rolled off his smaller lover, simultaneously pulling himself out of said lover, and pulled same lover into a close embrace. As the burgundy hair of the boy snuggled itself into his shoulder and fell asleep, Oishi stared up at the ceiling and thought over what had happened and what would soon take place.  
  
He was lucky. He played doubles, which guaranteed that his dear Eiji would always be with him. That day they won nationals… he could still see it right behind his eyelids. Cheers had surrounded them after they won finals, as he and Eiji high-fived in their own way. But that hadn't been the best part. Cheers once again surrounded them as they were handed their gold-plated trophies. But that still wasn't the best part. They had gone back by themselves, and returned to their spot high overlooking Tokyo, as the sun set behind the city. That had been the best part.  
  
iOishi was content to simply sit there, side-by-side with Eiji, watching the sun set and basking in the satisfaction of a promise fulfilled – a promise made at that very spot. Then, Eiji had reached over for his hand.  
  
"We did it, Oishi. We won Nationals. Number one."  
  
He looked at their interlocked fingers, then at Eiji, in surprise and hopefulness. For really, Oishi knew he felt more for the other half of the Golden Pair than a friend, more than a doubles partner. But he also knew that it wasn't right to feel that for another boy. Then Eiji continued.  
  
"Oishi, you've always been there for me. You provided me with just the right amount of support to pull me through. Always, when I played around with the acrobatics, I knew that you were always there to back me up. And when I was tired or losing hope, you always reminded me of just who we were, and that together, nothing could defeat us. Oishi, I think I depend on you more than I realize. Thanks."  
  
So that was it. He was just thankful. Oishi's inner hope deflated, but he kept up appearances for Eiji. Like always.   
  
"Thank you, but I don't deserve all that praise. Eiji, you're the life of the Golden Pair. Without your acrobatic offensive, my dependable defense would be nothing. It's because we're together that we won." Eiji was quiet for awhile, and the sun had fully set before he next spoke.  
  
"Ne, Oishi, let's make a pact."  
  
"A pact?" Oishi turned to look at the energetic, talkative boy.  
  
"Yea, you know, an agreement. A promise. By now, Eiji had turned to look at him, eyes sparkling in excitement.  
  
"I know what a pact is, but what kind of pact?"  
  
"To always be partners. High school and beyond. Always. Whether we go to university or turn pro, or whatever. We'll always be partners."  
  
If only Eiji knew how much he wanted Eiji to remain his partner in everything, forever, from tennis to life. "Agreed. It's not like we'll ever form another pair as good as us, and Eiji, you're one of my best friends. I'll be overjoyed to always have you as a partner."  
  
"Unnya! Yay!" Eiji pressed forward and tackled Oishi in a hug. Caught off-guards, Oishi had been launched backwards, Eiji falling on top of him, arms thrown around his neck. They had lain, sprawled there, for a few minutes staring into each other's eyes, before Eiji, realizing the embarrassing position they were in, muttered a breathy apology and moved to pick himself up. Oishi wasn't going to let him go that easily, though. He slid an arm around Eiji's waist, keeping him close, and slid his other hand up Eiji's spine and rested it in the hollow where his neck and skull met. Pulling down and tightening his grip, he pressed his other half closer to him. As lips met in a first kiss, two souls sighed as the slight gap separating them for years finally closed, allowing them to join as one./i  
  
They had come a long way since then, making a name for themselves in the high school circuit, as well as progressively getting closer in their relationship. Oishi dropped a light kiss on his partner's – in all sense of the word – forehead, before drifting off to sleep.  
  
The next day, Fuji was at the airport an hour before the rest of their traveling group. Inui followed half an hour later, followed by Kaidoh. Momoshiro and Echizen were unsurprisingly last. They had no trouble at the airport, aside from having to convince security that their tennis racquets (twenty in total) were not weapons, but meant for playing uses in England. Finally, only their IDs and fame as rising stars saved them.  
  
"Are you sure bringing Kikumaru-senpai on such a long flight is a good idea?" Echizen asked no one in particular safly in his window seat, protected by Momoshiro to his right. He apparently hadn't realized Kikumaru's hyperactivity translated into an incredible eagerness to look out the window for his first international flight, and had secured the window seat behind him, with Oishi next to him. Fuji, lover of beautiful scenes as he was, didn't plan on missing the chance to photograph out an airplane, and was in front of Echizen.  
  
"OCHIBI!" Kikumaru ranted from his seat, popping up and leaning over to grab onto Echizen's ears. "You'll never grow up, will you?"  
  
"Aren't you supposed to set an example by growing up first, senpai?" the boy responded after a long string of ows and releasing himself from the aforementioned senpai.  
  
"OCHIBI!" Kikumaru cried. Oishi pulled him back into his seat and leaned into him, kissing him as if his sanity depended on it. Which it probably did – the kid did have a point. The ball of energy next to him probably would find the long ride in such a confined space quite difficult, regardless of the fact that their 747 was quite big already. Kissing him senseless was Oishi's best (and favorite) method for keeping him quiet for half an hour or so. Well actually, his favorite and best method could make the boy fall asleep and keep silent for hours, but it wasn't quite the appropriate time or place to rip Eiji's clothes off and ram himself into the boy until the other cried out in pleasure and – Oishi shook his head. Just thinking about it made him hot.  
  
"Yea, Echizen-kun. I'm sure Eiji won't be a problem."  
  
Fuji just smiled as he listened to the conversation behind him. He enjoyed listening to their bickering – it was yet another proof of just how close they all were. He looked out the window as the plane began to move. 'Tezuka,' he thought. 'I'm coming.'  
  
"I'm bored," Kikumaru whined as he shifted restlessly in his seat.  
  
"I knew that was going to happen," Echizen muttered to himself, low enough that the redhead wouldn't hear.  
  
"Oishi, isn't there anything to do?" the boy asked, snuggling up on Oishi's arm. The capped one obligingly took out a book. "Oi~shi! I dun wanna read nya! That's schoolish!" So Oishi put the book away and took out a deck of cards. It was quickly given up because Eiji claimed a game between two people was boring, and there was no way to allow more people into one game. Oishi did his best to keep his lover entertained, he really did. But his task proved to be impossible. Eiji just couldn't sit still.  
  
"I have to use the bathroom," Eiji said, as way of telling Oishi to let him out of the row. But that's when Oishi thought of a good way to keep his partner busy. He pulled out a small tube, and followed Eiji to the restroom. They came out over half and hour later, Oishi looking highly pleased and Kikumaru following behind him, dazed and sated, and best of all, tired. After that little trip, Kikumaru quietly slept, head pillowed against Oishi's shoulder, as Oishi read his book in peace fore also drifting off to sleep. Apparently they had only napped a little the night before, before getting up and, um, kept each other busy for the rest of the night. So luckily, they slept almost ten hours before waking up again – a good portion of the flight.  
  
Momoshiro and Echizen, along with Kaidoh, were happily snoring away, always welcoming time to sleep, as it were. Inui was busy reading some book on the theory of tennis. Fuji just stared out his window, camera in hand. Twice he kneeled on his seat and leaned over its back to snap pictures of his teammates in various stages of sleep (known as drooling a river, open mouth fly trap, smilingly murmuring nonsense, and statue). But he was mostly focused on capturing the way the lightly reflected off the clouds, the way the different types of clouds sandwiched the plane, the land, etc. etc. Regardless of his sadistic streak, Fuji did have some soft spots, one of which was nature's beauty. Another was Tezuka, but that was beside the point.   
  
On land, Tezuka had no idea the teammates and friends he'd left behind years ago in Japan were on their way to visit him. They had asked Ryuzaki-sensei to contact Tezuka's primary trainer to make the plans, and specifically requested it be kept a secret from Tezuka. Therefore, when his tennis coach had come to exchange some words with his trainer during a serving drill, Tezuka thought it was about his training. When he was told to stop, he thought it was about his training. When he was told to go to the locker room and that he was done for the day, he thought the coach wanted him to rest more.  
  
That was how stoic, emotionless, hardened Tezuka Kunimitsu was standing in the doorway of the locker room, speechless, as he looked from one familiar face to another. His gaze rested on Fuji, who was smiling at him. This brought him back three years where they had been the shocked ones, and he and Fuji had communicated through their eyes. This time, as Tezuka's mask was quickly replacing itself, Fuji caught a glimpse of pain and loneliness in Tezuka's eyes.  
  
"Tezuka," Oishi broke the silence first. His best friend and former vice captain, the one to whom he trusted everything. Well, almost everything – he never told his otherwise confidant about his feelings towards one Fuji Syuusuke. The vision that haunted his nightmares and daydreams, who for over three years – yes, even before he had left – had always occupied his thoughts. And now that vision was in front of him, so close. He just had to take a few steps – but no. It wasn't time yet.  
  
Instead, with a curt nod of his head, he acknowledged, "Oishi." The single word was like the hole that destroyed the dam – cries of "Buchou!" and "Tezuka!" filled the room, as they, well, charged. Tezuka was pulled into hug after hug, which he only half-heartedly returned, as though he still couldn't believe they were real. Actually, that wasn't far from the truth. In all actuality, Tezuka only greeted his friends with half a mind, because the whole time, his eyes were fixated on Fuji, so that he barely saw whom he was greeting. He didn't even realize the ease with which he automatically started using his native language instead of the English he'd been getting better at in the past four years.  
  
Finally, the other greetings were done, and they stepped off to one side. "Fuji," Tezuka breathed, taking a step forward. The smile on Fuji's face faltered. Tezuka took two more steps, bringing Fuji within an arm's reach. He brought a hand up to brush the backs of his fingers against the blonde's check, effectively brushing back part of the mop of hair as well in his test of Fuji's realness. So many times he had thought the slight boy was there, smiling at him, only to fade upon the first touch. This one was no different.  
  
Fuji bolted. Out of the locker room and aimlessly away from it. Tears welled up, blinding sharp blue eyes. He didn't know why he ran. Tezuka had looked almost the same. His body was a bit more muscular and toned, his features sharper, showing him as an adult, but it was still same old Tezuka. His eyes were changed thought. They echoed the loneliness and pain hidden within his own. That type of raw need – Fuji blamed that for his running away. Really, he had no excuse. The visit had been his idea to start with. He had been desperate for Tezuka. So why did he run?  
  
"FUJI!" Tezuka had cried, right after the vision blurred and was gone. Just like every other time. "He seemed so real," he murmured, dropping his arm. "This time he seemed so real."  
  
Oishi clapped a hand on his shoulder, the first one to regain movement. "That's because he is real, Tezuka," he said. "Go. Chase him down. I think he's just nervous."  
  
Tezuka turned and face his friends. "He was real this time?"  
  
"Yes, nya," Kikumaru replied. "He is my best friend, I should know. Go for it, buchou. We'll catch up later."  
  
"Arigato," Tezuka said, and with a backwards glance at his friends, he sprinted in the direction Fuji was most likely to go in.  
  
The object of his chase found himself near a small pond, hidden from the rest of the school by a grove of trees. There he slowed to a walk, and finally a standstill. He stared out at the peaceful water, and tried to calm his raging emotions. He had kept his cool until Tezuka entered. Then, as everyone else greeted the elegant boy-man, their eyes had not parted. His emotions gradually overcame him and he ran. Maybe he was afraid of facing Tezuka. Maybe it had been bold of them to come find him so suddenly, after so many years, without any warning.  
  
Tezuka had always thought that Fuji was innately attracted to beauty, and would always find himself surrounded by it. Thus he ran towards the waterside where he often went to be alone, and to think about none other than Fuji. And indeed, silhouetted against the glittering pond was Fuji's figure. And Fuji was real. This time, he could tell his feelings to the real person, not a vision. Slowly, he walked towards the one crying out for him for years.  
  
Fuji felt warm arms wrap around him, and a chin rest on his shoulder. He knew at once that it was Tezuka, but he made no move to relax into the embrace. Rather, he stiffened at the unfamiliar touch, and what it meant. He was finally reunited with the taller man-child, and all his sleepless nights of trying to figure out a speech for this exact moment proved useless, as all eloquence escaped him. He was left without any thought, only feeling.  
  
"Fuji," the deep, steady voice spoke first. "Why did you run?"  
  
"Why did you, Tezuka?"  
  
"I was chasing my dream."  
  
"Ah, but where does becoming the world's best tennis player require that you never visit home?"  
  
"The snobbish part," came the light quip.  
  
It was interesting, this battling of wits. It was obvious neither wanted to be the first to admit to the real reason for running away from each other. But long enough was long enough, and Fuji turned around to face Tezuka. He put his arms against the broad chest in front of him, hands lightly gripping the shoulders. He looked up at Tezuka, who had straightened, but hadn't let go of the small boy's waist the entire time. Tezuka noted that somewhere along the lines, Fuji had stopped smiling, and his eyes had unscrewed into two piercing, blue blue eyes, which had always freaked even him out. Those eyes of Fuji's were so sharp it seemed as though he was staring straight into your soul.  
  
"Tezuka, I don't think it's time for jokes," he said.  
  
Instead of answering, the golden-brown haired boy leaned down and closed the space between their lips. It was short, but it was definitely sweet. As they parted, Tezuka looked straight into Fuji's eyes. "Aishiteru, Syuusuke."  
  
"Aishiteru, Tezuka-buchou," Fuji whispered back. And his eyes had closed in a face-splitting smile, much wider than his normal mask-all smile.  
  
Tezuka gave him a light pat on his behind. "Don't joke at a time like this."  
  
"Kunimitsu, then." And Fuji rested his head against Tezuka's chest. "Names don't matter. As Shakespeare wrote, 'a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.' I still love you."  
  
And they just stood like that for a while, wrapped in each other's embrace.  
  
"Hoi!" Kikumaru grunted as he sent a ball smashing back across the net from behind himself. His net opponent lobbed it back at him. "Kikumaru Beam!" he cried, hitting the over-the-shoulder shot as he jumped high in the air.  
  
After the game, Kikumaru and Oishi both looked exceedingly tired as they shook hands with their opponents. "Tezuka, the people here really are amazing," Kikumaru said as Oishi nodded, handing his partner his water bottle as he sipped from his own.  
  
"Ah," Tezuka responded, standing straight as usual, but an arm was draped around Fuji's shoulders, as opposed to the usual stiff folded arms pose.  
  
Next up was Echizen, who played quite a long and protracted game against his opponent from Tezuka's school, and though he eventually won, all knew it was due to his extensive stamina.  
  
"I'm up next," Fuji said in his soft feminine voice, shrugging off his Seishun High jacket.  
  
"This guy's one of Germany's best, but he's not a prodigy like you. Rather, all his moves come from hard work, determination and sheer persistence. So he's quite one to watch out for. Ganbatte ne, Syuusuke," whispered Tezuka as he pressed a light kiss on Fuji's forehead. He excused his actions by saying, "For luck."   
  
"Mmm. Thank you," Fuji said, picking up his racquet and heading towards the court. Tezuka followed Fuji's fluid movements very closely – so closely that he didn't even hear the score. But he could tell you every swing, every expression, every sound, that the prodigy made, for that was what interested him more.  
  
And singles one, he played. Just like old times, when he was the captain of the Seigaku team. 


End file.
